1) Struggle to stay on top of the snow by using a freestyle swimming motion.

2. If you are buried, your best chance fo survival is if someone saw you get covered. The snow in an avalanche is like a wet snowball: it is not light and powdery, and once you are buried, it is very difficult to dig your way out.

3. If you are only partially buried, you can dig your way out with your hands or by kicking at the snow.IF you still have a ski pole, poke through the snow in several directions until you see or feel open air, then dig in that direction.

4. If you are completly buried, chances are you will be too injured to help yourself. However, if you are able, dig a small hole around you adn spit in it. The saliva should head downhill, giving you an idea of which direction is up..Dig up and do it quickly.

Be aware

a) Never go hiking or skiing alone in avalanche territory.

b) Carry an avalanche probe- a surtdy, sectional aluminum pole that fits together to create a probe six to eight feet in length. Some ski poles are threaded and can be screwed toegehter to form avalanche probes.

c) Know where and when avalancehes are likely to occur.

d)Avalanches occur in areas with new snow; on the leeward side of the mountains (the side facing away from teh wind); and in the afternoons of sunny days, when the morning sun may have loosened the snowpack. They occur most often on mountainsides with angles of thirty to forty-five degrees-these are often the most popular slopes for skiing.

e) avalanches can be triggered by numerous factors, including recent snowfall, wind, and sunlight. As new snow accumulates with successsive storms, the layers may be of different consistencies adn not bond to one another, makking the snow highly unstable.

f) Loud noises do not cause avalances except if they cause significant vibrations in the ground or snow.

g) The activity with the highest avalance risk is now snowmobiling. SNowmobiles-sometimes called mountain sleds- are powerful and light, and can get high into mountainous terrain, where avalances occur.

h) Carry a beacon. The beacon broadcasts your position by setting up a magnetic field that can be picked up by the other beacons in your group. If skiing on a dangerous slope, go down one at a time, not as a group, in case a slide ocurs.

i) if you have witnessed others being buried by an avalanceh, contact the ski patrol as soon as possible. Then search first by trees and benches-the places where people are most commonly buried. All searches should have small, collapsible shovels to help them dig quickly if they find someone.